Contents
Introduction
8
Basicsandsupplies
10
Learn all you need to know about seed beads, threads,
and needles, and get familiar with basic beading terms.
Chapter 1:
PeyoteStitch
16
Start with traditional flat, even-count peyote, then learn
how to stitch diagonal and tubular variations.
Bead Play: Bead-stitched clasps
Chapter 2:
BrickStitch
32
Learn basic brick stitch and then alter it to create playful
chains, twists, and zigzags.
Bead Play: Brick and peyote
Chapter 3:
Right-AngleWeave
40
Create basic bands of right-angle weave, then mix it up
with creative double-deck and diagonal variations.
Bead Play: Fun beaded bag
Chapter 4:
Tri&QuadStitches
52
Discover the easy beauty and versatility of tri stitch and its
quadrangle variation.
Bead Play: Tri/Quad combination
Chapter 5:
DaisyChain
60
Make daisy chains with the traditional six- and eight-bead
stitches, and add layered and alternating variations.
Bead Play: Peyote and daisy combined
Chapter 6:
SpiralRopeStitch
72
Sculpt twining cords of spiral rope, and create variations
with different textures and colors.
Bead Play: Advanced spiral
Chapter 7:
RussianStitches
80
Explore three Russian stitches — Russian Spiral, Fabulous
Russian Rope, and St. Petersburg Chain — then discover
new variations and possibilities.
Bead Play: Sampler necklaces and pendants
Finalthoughts
93
Acknowledgments
94
Abouttheauthor
95
Ceiling bead
Wall bead
Floor bead
40
SeedBeadStitching
Right-AngleWeave
41
chapter
3
This easy, versatile stitch creates
a fabric of beads that is flexible in
all directions. Right-angle weave is
also very adaptable, making it easy
to change the number of beads
used in each stitch, allowing many
different effects. The basic concept
behind right-angle weave is to
create small square rings of beads
that flow one into the next. The
name comes from the shape of the
stitch – each new bead is added at
a right angle to the bead before.
Right-Angle
Weave
If you use beads with large holes, you’ll get a better
tension if you use doubled thread. Because you switch
direction as you bead, your beads might not sit at right
angles to each other. Don’t worry – this is part of the
charm of right-angle weave. Look at this sample I made.
The beads don’t sit at exact right angles to each other,
but you can still see each bead unit clearly.
While right-angle weave is fairly easy to master, I find it a bit tricky to teach. I once taught a class on right-angle weave at
a bead store, and the students were not catching on to my instructions as quickly as I had hoped. The owner of the store
happened to be on the phone with master beader Jeannette Cook, who shared her right-angle weave teaching technique
with me. I passed along her information to my students and after a few more attempts, the students had that magical
“aha” moment. Jeannette was kind enough to allow me to share her apartment building analogy here.
Picture a multilevel apartment building. Each apartment
has a floor, a ceiling, and two walls. All but the first and
last units of each floor share two common walls. The
floor of one apartment is the ceiling of the one below.
A unit of right-angle weave is much like an apartment in
this building. The ceiling bead sits at the top, the floor
bead is at the bottom, and the two wall beads are on
each side. Notice how all the beads sit at right angles to
each other?
As you create the bead fabric, you’ll see that each unit
shares wall beads with units on either side, and the floor
bead of one unit is the ceiling bead of the one below.
You build right-angle weave one row, or floor, at a time.
Each apartment, or unit, is added by weaving through
the beads in a circular motion. As you add each
subsequent unit, you’ll switch the direction in which
you’re beading. The first unit you’ll stitch going
clockwise around the ring, then the next unit you’ll add
stitching counterclockwise. Remember, every bead you
add will be at a right angle to the bead you just
went through.
Tri&QuadStitches
57
And then there were four (again).
While teaching my then-10-year-old daughter how to do tri stitch, she made a mistake. She handed me her
“mistake” to fix and, after taking one look at it, I said, “I think you made up a new stitch. How did you do that?”
She smiled and told me that after she went through the first bead again, she added an extra bead before going
through the second bead to finish the stitch. And with that, quad stitch was born. I loved her mistake and use it
for many simple strap necklaces using a variety of beads.
There is one tiny drawback to this stitch, however. In the off-loom bead-stitching world, visible thread is one
of the big no-nos – there should never be any exposed thread crossing over or under beads. Quad stitch has an
exposed thread under the “extra” bead, but it is almost impossible to see it. For the beading purists out there, you
can achieve a similar look with a single line of right-angle weave using four beads for each unit. However, quad stitch
allows for a better fit of the beads when working with beads of many different sizes. Also, quad stitch seems to be
more stable than a single row of right-angle weave – quad stitch doesn’t twist the way right-angle weave does.
Quad Stitch
Quad stitch is very similar
to tri stitch, except for the
addition of an extra bead.
Start by picking up three
beads and going through
the first bead again.
Pick up a new bead and go
through the second bead to
lock the stitch. The second
bead becomes the first
bead of the next stitch, as
in tri stitch.
To do the second stitch, pick
up two beads. Go through
the first bead, pick up a new
bead, and go through the
second bead. Repeat to
make the next stitch.
Quad stitch
variations
Like tri stitch, quad
stitch is a great stitch
for experimentation.
The beads lock together
to make a sturdy
chain, even with beads
that are very different
shapes and sizes. So
feel free to go crazy.
Mixed beads
For bead-soup chains, it
doesn’t get much easier
than this. Whether you mix
all your leftovers together
for a colorful and eclectic
assortment, or you stick to
a range of hues, almost any
bead mix you like can be
incorporated into your quad
stitch chain.
Patterns
While I must admit that I prefer the look of this stitch using a mixture of beads
in different shapes and sizes, I do like the look of simple patterns as well.
A basic pattern starts with uniform beads of one size, such as 110s. Make
the first stitch with four 110s, then pick up an 110 and a different bead, such as
a cube. Go through the first bead, pick up another cube, and go through the
second bead. Make the next stitch with three new 110s. The stitch after that
you can make using beads of a different color or shape for the third and fourth
beads. You can make the pattern as simple or as varied as you like.
56
SeedBeadStitching